This historical Florentine villa is given a contemporary rethink
Danish design brand Frama and filmmaker Albert Moya have worked together to update the Villa Medicea di Marignolle in Italy

Multidisciplinary Danish design brand Frama has breathed new life into a historical Italian home, collaborating with filmmaker Albert Moya to create a welcoming space in Florence. Located between Galluzzo and Soffiano in the southwestern suburbs, Villa Medicea di Marignolle has a rich history. Both the former home of Galileo Galilei and one of the Medici family’s villas, it is now a base for Spanish-born Moya, who was keen to combine the 15th-century building with contemporary design codes.
Albert Moya at the villa
‘I teamed up with Frama to create a studio, a space acting as a school where artists can meet students,’ Moya says. ‘A place where everyone can learn something new, absorb knowledge, and exchange ideas. There is a natural interaction between the interior architecture, Frama’s universe, and each selected piece. It is a harmonious, unified and balanced approach.’
It is a laid-back aesthetic encapsulated in the interior of the villa, an icon of Renaissance architecture, with the creation of two workspaces that serve equally for relaxing and socialising, in these surroundings that marry architecture, design and art.
For Moya, the tranquillity of the Florentine villa is key to its success, and his partnership with Frama defines the parameters of the untraditional living studio. It is a natural project for the Danish studio, which composes design solutions from its base and showroom space in the historic St Paul’s Apotek in Nyboder, Copenhagen. In the past, the brand has worked on both lifestyle objects, fragrances and homewares and interior architecture projects, as well as offering a multisensory approach to design solutions for furniture and lighting, creating warm and welcoming spaces.
‘With an emphasis on natural materials, simple geometries, and uncompromising quality, our work celebrates craftsmanship,’ the brand states. ‘It connects the imaginative with the practical, resulting in a uniquely honest aesthetic.’
INFORMATION
framacph.com
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels.
-
Waiting for Ideas have recast the turntable as a minimal aluminium altar for vinyl worship
The PP-1 turntable is an ultra-minimal, all-aluminium record player designed to enhance the vinyl experience
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Fendi celebrates 100 years with all-out runway show at its new Milan HQ
In the wake of Kim Jones’ departure, Silvia Venturini Fendi took the reins for a special co-ed A/W 2025 collection marking the house’s centenary, unveiling it as the first act of celebrations within Fendi’s expansive new headquarters in Milan
By Jack Moss Published
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellion
The new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published
-
Is biodesign the future of architecture? EcoLogicStudio thinks so
We talk all things biodesign with British-Italian architecture practice ecoLogicStudio, discussing how architecture can work with nature
By Shawn Adams Published
-
Meet Carlo Ratti, the architect curating the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale
We meet Italian architect Carlo Ratti, the curator of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, to find out what drives and fascinates him ahead of the world’s biggest architecture festival kick-off in May
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The brutal harmony of Villa Caffetto: an Escheresque Italian modernist gem
The Escheresque Italian Villa Caffetto designed by Fausto Bontempi for sculptor Claudio Caffetto
By Adam Štěch Published
-
Turin’s Museo Egizio gets an OMA makeover for its bicentenary
The Gallery of the Kings at Turin’s Museo Egizio has been inaugurated after being remodelled by OMA, in collaboration with Andrea Tabocchini Architecture
By Smilian Cibic Published
-
A floor made of tomato skins? Welcome to the Mutti Canteen by Carlo Ratti in Parma
Mutti Canteen by Carlo Ratti is a new, environmentally friendly foodie piece of architecture within Parma's green countryside
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Naples Central Station boasts a wavy, wooden signature roof that is dramatic and sculptural
Naples Underground Central Station by Benedetta Tagliabue is a work of art that’s inviting and vibrant, matching its dynamic context
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
‘Carlo Scarpa: The Complete Buildings’ is an essential tour of the Italian master’s works
‘Carlo Scarpa: The Complete Buildings’ is the perfect book for architecture enthusiasts
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
New Aesop Milan store is a haven of beauty and tranquillity
The latest Aesop Milan store to open is a hub of wellness, beauty and tranquillity in the Italian metropolis
By Ellie Stathaki Published